Departments of Haiti

In the administrative divisions of Haiti, the department (French: département d'Haïti, pronounced [depaʁtəmɑ̃ d‿aiti]; Haitian Creole: depatman Ayiti) is the first of four levels of government. Haiti is divided administratively into ten departments, which are further subdivided into 42 arrondissements, 145 communes, and 571 communal sections.[1][2][3]

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In 2014, there was a proposal by the Chamber of Deputies to increase the number of departments from 10 to 14 —perhaps as high as 16.[4]

Departments of Haiti

Administration

Each departement has a departmental council (conseil départemental) compound of three members elected by the departmental assembly for a 4-year term. The departmental council is led by a president (président). The council is the executive organ of the department.

Each department has a departmental assembly who assists the council in its work. The departmental assembly is the deliberative organ of the department. The members of the departmental assembly are also elected for 4 years. The departmental assembly is led by a president.

History

Three Departments have roots in the former French colony of Saint-Domingue, namely: the Nord, Sud, and Ouest. In 1801, under Governor-General Toussaint Louverture, the "provinces," became known as departments.[5][6] In 1821, Artibonite was created and in 1844, Nord-Ouest, both derived out of the Nord and Ouest departments.[7][8] In 1962 during the reign of Duvalier, four new departments were created out of a territorial redistribution. These departments were: Centre, Grand'Anse, Nord-Ouest and Sud-Est. In 2003, a tenth department was created out of Grand'Anse, called Nippes.[8]

In the 1990s, before the creation of Nippes, the "10th Department" was a phrase commonly used in regards to the Haitian diaspora. As of the 21st century, it became known as the "11th".[8]

Demographics

Data based on 2015 estimates from the Haitian government.[9]

Map Department Capital Area (km²)PopulationDensity
(Pop./km²)		MapPlanning
Region
1 Artibonite Gonaïves 4,9871,727,5243501Central
2 Centre Hinche 3,487746,2362102Central
3 Grand'Anse Jérémie 1,912468,3012403South
4 Nippes Miragoâne 1,268342,5252704South
5 Nord Cap-Haïtien 2,1151,067,1775005North
6 Nord-Est Fort-Liberté 1,623393,9672406North
7 Nord-Ouest Port-de-Paix 2,103728,8073507Central
8 Ouest Port-au-Prince 4,9834,029,7058108West
9 Sud-Est Jacmel 2,034632,60131010West
10 Sud Les Cayes 2,654774,9762909South

See also

References
  1. Olivier, Louis-Joseph, ed. (14 August 2015). "Création de cinq nouvelles communes par décret présidentiel" (in French). Le Nouvelliste. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  2. Press, ed. (16 August 2015). "Haïti - Politique : 5 nouvelles communes en Haïti". Haiti Libre. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  3. "7300.- Divisions territoriales" (in French). Haiti-Référence. 17 August 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  4. Duval, Frantz (29 September 2014). "Le nouvel ordre géographique et administratif d'Haïti" (in French). Le Nouvelliste. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  5. Press, ed. (1950). "Estadística, Volume 8, Issues 26-29". p. 207. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  6. Kersuze, Simeon-Jones, ed. (2010). Literary and Sociopolitical Writings of the Black Diaspora in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. p. 16. ISBN 9780739147641. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  7. Press, ed. (March 2002). "Organisation Territoriale des Collectivités" (PDF) (in French). Commission nationale a la reforme administrative (CNRA). Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  8. Hall, Michael R., ed. (2012). Historical Dictionary of Haiti. p. 78. ISBN 9780810878105. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  9. "Population totale de 18 ans et plus" (PDF) (in French). Institut Haitien de statistque et d'informatique (IHSI). March 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-11-06. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
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